National Old Trails Road

National Old Trails Road
Public domain · source
Name	National Old Trails Road
Formed	Early 1910s
Decommissioned	Mid 20th century (phased into numbered highways)
Length mi	Approx. 3,100
States	California; Arizona; New Mexico; Texas; Oklahoma; Kansas; Missouri; Illinois; Indiana; Ohio; West Virginia; Pennsylvania; Maryland
Termini	Wentworth, Baltimore (east); Los Angeles (west)

National Old Trails Road was an early transcontinental auto route established in the 1910s that connected the Atlantic Ocean at Baltimore to the Pacific Ocean at Los Angeles, following corridors of earlier Native American trails, Spanish Camino Real, and westward expansion roads. Promoted by civic boosters, automobilists, and civic organizations, the route intersected emerging numbered highways such as U.S. Route 40, U.S. Route 66, and U.S. Route 60, and contributed to the development of municipalities, railroad junctions, and interstate highway planning.

History

The road initiative emerged from boosterism linked to organizations like the National Old Trails Road Association and prominent figures such as Clinton B. Fisk advocates and businessmen in the Good Roads Movement. Early promoters included leaders from the Automobile Club of Southern California and the American Automobile Association, who coordinated with state highway departments in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The project drew on historical corridors used during the Lewis and Clark Expedition era, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Old Spanish Trail, intersecting sites associated with figures like Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith. Federal initiatives such as the later Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 and the creation of the U.S. Highway System in 1926 superseded many named routes, folding stretches of the route into U.S. Route 66 and U.S. Route 40 alignments.

Route and alignment

The alignment traced a roughly east–west line: beginning near Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay, passing through the Allegheny Plateau and the industrial corridor of Pittsburgh, then across Ohio through cities like Columbus and Dayton, into Indiana past Indianapolis, onward to St. Louis in Missouri, then through the Ozarks toward Joplin before entering the Great Plains via Kansas City. From Kansas the corridor continued through Oklahoma City and across Amarillo in Texas, then across New Mexico near Santa Fe and Albuquerque, into Arizona skirting Flagstaff and the Petrified Forest National Park region, and finally descending to Los Angeles via routes near San Bernardino and Riverside County. The corridor linked with historic roads including the Santa Fe Trail, the Old Spanish Trail, and waterways like the Mississippi River and the Colorado River.

Road development and maintenance

Initial surfacing was a mix of dirt, gravel, macadam, and cobblestone in urban centers like Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Columbus, and St. Louis; later federal and state investments converted many segments to concrete and asphalt during the 1920s and 1930s Depression-era public works programs administered alongside agencies such as the United States Bureau of Public Roads and the Works Progress Administration. Private entities including local chambers of commerce and regional railroad companies financed rerouting and bridge construction over major rivers like the Missouri River, Arkansas River, and Rio Grande. Maintenance regimes varied by state: California pioneered long-term paving projects near Los Angeles and San Bernardino, while rural stretches in Arizona and New Mexico relied on county road crews and New Deal relief labor. Later integration with the Interstate Highway System shifted maintenance responsibilities to departments such as Caltrans and state departments of transportation.

Cultural and economic impact

The corridor stimulated tourism to landmarks like the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest National Park, and the cultural centers of Santa Fe and Los Angeles, while supporting industries including automobile manufacturing hubs in Detroit (connected via feeder roads), regional agriculture markets across the Great Plains, and extractive industries in Arizona and New Mexico. Towns along the route—such as Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Baltimore—saw growth in hospitality sectors run by families and companies that later became national chains. The road influenced migration patterns during events like the Dust Bowl and the Great Migration, and featured in popular media about road travel and Americana, paralleled by works referencing Route 66 culture and travelogues by figures touring with Harvey Houses-era commercial interests.

Landmarks and notable segments

Prominent segments include stretches near the Petrified Forest National Park, the approach to the Grand Canyon Railway and Flagstaff Station, urban approaches in Los Angeles near San Bernardino, river crossings at the Missouri River near St. Louis including connections to the Eads Bridge era alignments, and early 20th-century paving projects showcased in Baltimore and Columbus. Other notable sites include the Santa Fe Plaza in Santa Fe, the historic business districts of Amarillo and Albuquerque, and preservation-minded corridors in Oklahoma and Kansas where segments retain period signage and alignment. Nearby landmarks and institutions that framed travel along the road included Railroad Depot hubs, National Park Service sites, and cultural centers tied to indigenous nations such as the Navajo Nation and the Pueblo peoples.

Legacy and preservation efforts

Although many segments were superseded by numbered U.S. routes and the Interstate Highway System, local governments, historical societies, and organizations like Historic Route 66 Association-style groups have worked to mark and preserve surviving segments. Preservation efforts involve state historic preservation offices in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, as well as nonprofit partners including National Trust for Historic Preservation affiliates. Commemorative markers, museum exhibits in cities such as Santa Fe and Flagstaff, and inclusion in regional heritage tourism itineraries continue to highlight the corridor’s role in 20th-century transportation history.

Category:Historic trails in the United States Category:Roads in the United States